Alex Howes Talks Tour de France vs. Tour Divide, Discovering Kind, and Tires

Editor’s Word: BikeTiresDirect has partnered with Alex Howes — a famend world-tour-rider-gone-off-road-privateer — since 2022. Right here’s an excerpt from a dialog between BTD & Howes that passed off on April 2nd, 2024, the place they went down the rabbit gap on all issues bicycle.

Bertrand Mejia-Morin (from BTD): Alex, thanks for taking the time to speak… what driving forces had been behind you leaving the WorldTour group that you just had been on (EF) and focusing on a extra freeform off-road-centric privateer life?

Alex Howes: The primary driver behind all of it was simply desirous to be house extra with household. COVID was lengthy, and the skilled biking world spent numerous time simply within the bubble. [It required] numerous time away from house — actually months — so it simply wasn’t numerous enjoyable.

BTD: How do you sort out balancing being knowledgeable racer with [having a family]?

Howes: It’s humorous as a result of folks use the phrase steadiness lots… and the fact is it doesn’t really feel balanced on any stage or in both route… the highs are tremendous excessive and the lows are low — get issues executed when you may, and simply overlook about them when you may’t. Settle for the chaos… [know it] doesn’t final without end, and should you simply preserve tapping away on the pedals and having enjoyable with it… the snow melts and the shape exhibits up and there you go.

Learn how to Break Into Bike Privateering

BTD: Any recommendation for people who find themselves making an attempt to equally privateer their approach by way of the US off-road racing scene?

Howes: It’s surprisingly aggressive lately. Individuals do their analysis, each in racing and in placing collectively sponsorship proposals and decks and all the pieces else.

First bit of recommendation: don’t suppose it received’t be a job. If you wish to do it, it’s numerous work. If you wish to make it occur you gotta choose up the cellphone. You gotta get the keyboard out. You gotta hustle onerous.

10-15 years in the past, should you needed to be a professional bicycle owner, you gotta go UCI, and that’s that. [Now], there’s nobody proper strategy to do something within the privateer world.

BTD: What’s the most underrated or missed factor that you just carry with you throughout races?

Howes: I all the time deliver tremendous glue with me… I’ve used it extra usually than I really feel like I ought to have. I glued bar tape again collectively mid-race one time after I reduce it and it was flapping. It was simply driving me loopy. I’ve tremendous glued cuts. I’ve glued tire plugs in. I imply, there are 58,000 makes use of for it and you will get the tremendous tiny ones.

Tour Divide vs Tour de France

BTD: How would you examine a number of the extra structured [WorldTour] races to a race out of your Privateer profession just like the Tour Divide… simply you on the market by yourself?

Howes: I imply it’s sort of humorous as a result of on the finish of all of it there have been numerous metrics that sort of lined up. If you happen to have a look at fatigue scores… they had been virtually an identical between the 2 of them — between the Tour Divide and the Tour de France. Which is comical as a result of they’re not even in [the same] universe on so many different ranges.

[For] the Tour Divide I imply, I might be stunned if I averaged 105 watts, general. Versus the Tour de France — I don’t suppose there’s a day the place you common below 220… which doesn’t sound like lots however for somebody that’s 63 kilos, [at] 220 [you’re] pushing for lots. So anyhow, it was shocking how nicely they in contrast on some ranges, [but then are] completely totally different.

BTD: And if I recall accurately, You had been on the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Ms for the Tour Divide?

Howes: They’re nonetheless going. Yeah, I rode them two days in the past — the very same tires.

Alex’s Favourite Street Tire

BTD: On that be aware, what’s your favourite tire you’ve ridden?

Howes: Yeah, the bummer with tires is you bear in mind a complete bunch that you just actually didn’t like.

When you have an excellent tire you overlook about it, and also you’re simply having fun with your bike experience. If you happen to don’t have an excellent tire you’re both fixing it otherwise you’re terrified as a result of it’s coming aside on you otherwise you’re crashing.

Those that I in all probability spent probably the most time on that I actually loved had been the Vittoria Corsa [N.EXTs] … I rode these issues in coaching a ton.

If I used to be gonna go purchase a pair of tires to experience and race, these are the tires… between [the compound] and working them tubeless. I simply take into consideration what number of tubes I used to make use of a 12 months.

Biking Trade — Ideas and Emotions

BTD: What’s your least favourite factor in regards to the bike business?

Howes: I really feel like we’re all the time chasing… there’s a cycle to it yearly. And I really feel like all people is a month behind always? Me included — I’m two months behind and I’ve simply accepted that. Like, I’m placing my bikes collectively now, which is sort of ridiculous… why don’t all of us simply hit pause for a month and let all of it catch up?

BTD: How about your favourite factor?

Howes: I feel there’s numerous simply genuinely glad those that do stuff with bikes. And that’s why they get into the business. For all its shortcomings… all people desires to be there. They’re simply making an attempt to determine the best way to keep there.

Howes: Did we contact on how we linked up? I known as you guys up out of the blue. I stated “hey, you wanna do one thing?” You guys are like, “we don’t do this however I suppose we might. What would you like?”

“Tires, duh!” And I [explained] the entire rationale [behind] the [Lifetime] Grand Prix, with gravel racing, and with what I do; no single tire model makes the proper tire for each race. And tires are 50% of the sport in off-road endurance racing. Perhaps 50% is beneficiant, however you’re not gonna win something should you’re not attending to the end line with air in your tires, so yeah…

I needed the power to combine and match, and also you guys stated “Alright, yeah. We do transport.”

So yeah, it’s been enjoyable. I’ve examined numerous stuff and located some stuff I like, and a few I don’t. I discovered a pair of tires that can apparently final for 7,000 miles.

BTD: And also you had been an actual take a look at topic for this 12 months — 2024 now contains 5 athlete partnerships for BikeTiresDirect. And it’s been nice to have the ability to share our base of data and assets with folks… be part of their seasons and part of their careers, even in a small approach. So in that respect, thanks.

It’s been an excellent partnership to date and we’re actually wanting ahead to what the subsequent 12 months and past has to carry working with you.

Howes: And I admire it. Yeah, and the explanation I known as you guys is as a result of I simply saved shopping for stuff from you guys.

[both laugh]

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Thanks for studying. You’ll discover the unabridged transcript with extra about Alex’s WorldTour experiences, his technique for tire selection, his confusion about professional cyclists apparently all the time pooping in hats, and a complete lot extra at BikeTiresDirect.